MPs have called on the government to establish a £100m-a-year fund to tackle rough sleeping as the UK faces the risk of a homelessness crisis following the pandemic.
The Housing, Communities and Local Government select committee is urging the government not to squander its efforts to take people off the streets during the covid outbreak.
It warns that there are mounting pressures on private sector tenants who are unable to pay rent and will be at risk of eviction once the current ban expires.
The committee says that 90 per cent of rough sleepers have been housed in temporary accommodation, presenting the opportunity to eradicate the issue once and for all.
It wants the government to urgently developed an exit strategy and provide funding to ensure local authorities can provide accommodation for those who were previously sleeping on the streets.
Furthermore, Citizens Advice calculated that up to 2.6 million private renters may have missed or are expected to miss a rent payment in April. Without action from the government, the committee warns that there may be a cliff edge of evictions once the temporary ban lapses.
The MPs are calling on the government to consider amending existing legislation to provide greater security to tenants during the ongoing health crisis.
This could include giving judges discretionary powers to compel tenants and landlords to work together and removing the option of eviction as the first resort.
HCLG committee chair Clive Betts says: “We must praise the efforts of all those who have done so much to help take people of the streets during the current health emergency, but what happens next is crucial.
“It is simply not good enough for anyone to leave temporary accommodation and end up back on the streets.
“This isn’t just about protecting vulnerable people from covid-19.
“It is not safe to live on the streets in any circumstances and it is not acceptable to allow it to return once the health crisis abates.
“In our report we have called on the government to grasp the golden opportunity that has presented itself.
“For the first time in over a decade, rough sleepers have been comprehensively taken off the streets and given accommodation.
“This must become the new norm.”
